Apparatus for the mechanical cheddaring of cheese



1958 B. T. HENSGEN ET AL 2,846,767

APPARATUS FOR THE MECHANICAL CHEDDARING OF CHEESE Filed Jan. '31, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Axao 7. 195N565 MM: 75/? BEL/M40 Aug. 12, 1958 B. r. HENSGEN ET AL 2,846,767

APPARATUS FOR THE MECHANICAL CHEDDARING 0F CHEESE Filed Jan. 31. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I S 7/ f L5 {3 1- [7 'l BE'R/VARD z- Alf/V565 WALTE'R A. 554 44 0 INVENTORS ATTOR/l/EY United States Patent (assignors to Swift 1!; Company, Chicago, Ill., '2 'corpo- .ration o'f lllinois Application January 3 1, -1955,Sei-ialNb. 484,922 :6 IClaims. c1. 31-

The invention irelatesiinrgeneral to the manufactureof cheddar cheese. More panticular lyyrthisiinventionarelates to an apparatus suitable for mechanicallywclreddaiing cheese so taste isecure substantiallycomplete- 'whey removal. V

As aordinarily performed, the eheddaring of-"cheese -:is a hatch proeess :requiring a number of ;hand :manipul-axtions-or-the usezof' several different =type's :of apparatus, .each -.of which-must be guided thy an operator.

JLis -therefore anobjecbofthis invention tozprovide an improved means tor cheddaringcheese in a 'largelyzauto- .matic fashion.

It is a further =-objectl-ofthisin-vention .toprovide an apparatus \for'the cheddaringrof cheese which makes .pos- .sible theflaccurate control :of acidity, irate and amount of wheyuemoved, and '-reduces -the -.timezrequired'ito complete -.the cheddaring operation.

vA further objeet-nf-this invention is to IPIOVldfi'flfl apparatus which .removes a large :portion of the whey fromthecurd during the cheddar-ing-woperation -by pmviding a-large-number of-surfaceskfrom which residual whey readily drainsbut which,- zatthe same time, avoids .the breakup-of cheese curd into undesirably sin-all particles.

Further-objects and-advantages ofthis.-in-vention', if not (specifically set out, will become apparent -during ='the course .of -the discussion below. 1

In the drawings:

Figure Lis-a side-elevational view, themlr'aimpa'ns and several of the movable curd receptacles being :shown in section.

Figure .2 is an end elevational view of'zthe entire'za'pparatus.

Figure .3 is :an isomeric .view s'howingone of ithe pluralitycf .curd receptacles --used to hold the-cheese. This figure also shows .the .apparatuszby means oftwhich' -the curd receptacles are vibrated.

.Figure 4 is .an isometric view .of the forming boxiand curd subdividing mechanism eta-Figure 1'.

Figure 5 is .a view taken along. the line :5--5 of the second curd subdividing mechanism .ofiFi-gure 1.

Figure [6 is an end view -of thevibrator contact stnips their shields in section.

Broadly, V .the present invention involves :an' apparatus for mechanically. cheddaringcheese curd whi-le .thelatter isfheldgin QJZBCIiPQ-IQHPI'EfEIEbIY. square or rectangular inshape, mounted .on .an endless conveyor. The conveyor moves each of .these receptacles .in- -intermittent (fashion along .a given path. .As the conveyor stops for apreiietermined periodroi time, operations are performed upon the curd at various stations along-the-conveyor path. At the first station,:a curdreceptacle, mountedon the above-mentioned conveyor -is stopped beneath a second operatively associated .conveyorLfrom which depends a walled'st ructure open at tt he bottom except .for arplurality. of cutting .for flg box, as his called, and the curd receptacleare fbrought into registration and the conveyors'brieflyheldinplace. Then a quantity of M ce Patented Aug. 12, 1958 curd 1 and whey mix is dr'awn from *a heese "curd *vatia'rid deposited on the curd receptacle. The-'curdr'eceptacles areprovided with drain slots thatwheymay eaily-drain :iree. Next, through the use of asiiitable 'vibration"sttp-' iplying device, the curd receptacle is caused to athere'byincre'asing the rate of whey 'drainag'e'. 'Thisjvibration c'ontinues as the curd receptacle moves withthe conveyor toward the second-station. Here thep'revious- .lymentioned plurality ofwires, arranged 'atrig'lit angles *'to.one another so as to resemble a lattice, subdivide the partially drained curd. This is accomplished as the forming boxes, approaching the *endcf their run, lifted upward. The i cutting "wires are drawn through'fthe curd mass thus providing a large uumberof'curdfac'es "and facilitating whey draina e. The -reeeptaci'es* ontinue tovibrate I as they move forward to the *third' statioh where ithe final 'subdividin'g 'operation "takes place. Again, wires or knives vplaced at' right angles to one another tperform .the cutting operation. 011' "the 'completion"df this step, the receptacle supporting conveyor turn'siloivnwardly and begins its .ireturntrip to the 'feed'end of the apparatus 'while' the relatively small curd ipieces ran fror'n the tables, thereafter to be salted and pressed.

Referring'now :to the-drawings in -which"like' characters :re'fer to ilike parts throughout; the a aratus comprises a .conveyor mechanism preferably formed of spr kt chains :10 :passing over sprocket wheels 11. The "spr '"k- :et wheels located at the forward' or feed-e'nd of the apparatus are connected by means "of-a Geneva-drive mechanism 1210 chain 13'dr'iven bymo't'or' 14. Mounted 11113011 the conveyor are a plurality "o'f' vib'rati'on tablesor curcbholding means 15, shown individually in Figure? :E'BICh are equipped with "slots 36' at the lower portions thereof. These slots serve as whey dra'insi Addition- =ally,-each table is provided with a 'suitabl'e-vibratingiipp'aratus .17, for example, one of the type de'scribed in the Alvard Patent No. 2,180,189. Po'werat th'e p'iope'r moment :is supplied toxthese'vibrating units tl-irough la'tis 18, which contactstrips =1,.m'ounted parallel tothecoriveyor and partially coextensive therewith. harder to prevent the contact strips v19 from being" splashed with .whey, thereby causing a .poor contact between the leads .18 .and strips 19, splash shields 20- are preferably supplied. .Such ashieldis shown in Figure 6. The Shield "should extend the full length :of the contact s'trip's' 'aflfl should :be .suitably insulated therefrom as by insiilatjiiig material 21. The previously mentioned vibration tables 15 are mounted on .the conveyor chain so that the'y-vibrate rapidly when power .is supplied'tto units 17. The vibration .frequency which .-is considered most satisfa'c tory is about 3600 .per minute and the preterred' amplitude ranges between ,5 land inch. Mounted directly beneath the uppermost portion of the m'ain conveyor and extending ia'lmost-its'eittire length'is adrainpan 22. This serves as a receiving means for the whey which'apa'sses through slots 16 in vibratingitables 15. Suitable drain means 22a is provided to remove excess whey fi'om'th'e pan .22. Mounted beneath the entire conveyor are'a plurality of separate nozzles $23, which are :in 'turn connected to a pipe 24 carrying hot water or tsteam under pressure. These spray units are mounted within a :separate chamber 25, having a' drain 25a, andwhichis-clos'ed at both top and bottom and is provided only with open ings .26 at either end. These :openings are just large enough to allow passage of the conveyor and vibrating tables through the chamber.

.Mounted directly above the forward end ='ofkthe eon: veyor is a cheese curd vat 27 having an'texniusion nozzle 28. Additionally, a suitable solenoid operated valve 29 is positioned along the lower iportion ofnhe extrusion nozzle 28. This valve cooperates with the conveyor 'aiiii vibrating tables in such a fashion that-it is-automatically tripped at a time when an empty table is positioned directly beneath the mouth of the extrusion nozzle. Provided also is a suitable time delay device, not shown, whichv holds the solenoid valve in an open position for a length of time sufficient to feed the proper amount of curd and whey onto the vibration table. Also mounted above the conveyor are sprocket chains 30 mounted on sprocket wheels 31. The chains carry a plurality of hingedly mounted forming boxes 32, each of which are open at both top and bottom. These forming boxes are more clearly shown in Figure 4 wherein the cutting wires 33 are easily seen. By means of the aforementioned Geneva drive mechanism connected through chain drive 34 and the axle of sprocket wheel 11 the movement of chain, 30 is synchronized with that of the larger conveyor chain 10. The movements of the vibration tables 15 and forming boxes 32 are such that the two units become interconnected for a period of time. The cheese curds resting on the vibration tables are thus held in position by the boxes 32 while the initial surge of whey drains off. Positioned farther along the path of the main conveyor is a second unit 35 for subdividing curd. This cutting member is preferably a hydraulically driven mechanism having a plurality of cutting wires or knives 36 mounted at right angles to one another. This structure is shown more clearly in Figure 5. The movement of this member is synchronized with that of vibration tables in such a fashion that as chain stops, cutting mem bers 36 move in a downwardly direction to further subdivide the cheese curd. The cutting member returns to its retracted position just prior to the time at which the conveyor recommences its forward motion.

The pieces of curd are removed from each vibration table when the conveyor turns downward prior to beginning its strip to the feed end of the apparatus. The curd pieces 37 drop onto another conveyor 38 which advances them in a largely whey-free state to salting and pressing stations. This conveyor is preferably driven in an intermittent fashion through a suitable pulley 39 connected by means of chain drive 40 to another pulley 41, coaxially mounted with conveyor sprocket 11.

In operation, power is supplied to sprocket wheels 11 through Geneva drive 12 and chain 13 from electric motor 14. This causes sprocket chain 10 carrying vibration tables 15 to move intermittently in a forward direction. Simultaneously one of forming boxes 32, through the turning of sprocket wheel 31, is superposed directly over one of vibration tables 15. The solenoid valve 29 is tripped in such a fashion that cheese curd is automatically supplied from hopper 27 through extrusion nozzle 28 onto the appropriate vibration table. As can be easily seen from the drawings, the forming box is somewhat smaller than the curd receptacles and, since the curd and whey mixture is deposited Within the four walls of the forming box, the mass is prevented from spreading out over the entire vibration table surface. Consequently, the drain slots 16 are kept free and excess whey is removed with ease. When the second station is reached, at the end of the shorter and uppermost conveyor, the forming boxes are lifted upwardly and the cutting wires drawn through the curd mass thereby subdividing it into a number of small cubes. Since at this point the curd has become partially set and to some extent whey free, it does not spread out upon the tables sufiiciently to clog the drain slots.

Further separation of the whey is facilitated by the fact that the curd is now in smaller piecesand additionally the tables are constantly being vibrated from the time they are filled at station one until they reach unit 35 at station three. Here at station three, each table stops beneath the knives or wires 36 to allow for a second cutting of the cheese curd. This further aids whey removal. At the end of the transverse run, the largely whey free curd blocks 37 are dropped onto conveyor 38 which carries them to the salting station and fore only such limitations should be imposed to the forming and pressing station. The vibration tables are then immediately passed into spray chamber 25 through orifice 26 wherein they are subjected to the action of fluid under pressure supplied by pipe 24 to nozzles 23. In this fashion the pans are cleaned and prepared for the receipt of an additional mass of cheese curd.

It is seen that by the use of the apparatus set out above, it is possible to automatically drain and subdivide cheese curd with little or no attention from an operator. Accurate control of the rate of whey removal, acidity of the curd and size of the curd blocks is easily achieved. In short, a uniformity of product which has not been heretofore readily obtainable is secured.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and thereas are indicated in the appended claims. 1 I

We claim: I

l. A machine for the continuous manufacture of cheddar cheese, comprising: a frame, a conveyor mounted on said frame, a plurality of curd receptacles attached at spaced intervals on said conveyor, said receptacles'provided with drains to remove released whey, drive means for advancing said conveyor and receptacles along a defined path, means for depositing portions of curd on the said receptacles at one station along said path, and cutting means at another station along said path to subdivide the curd to facilitate release of the whey.

2. A machine for the continuous manufacture of cheddar cheese, comprising: a first conveyor, a frame supporting said first conveyor, spaced curd-holding means attached to said first conveyor, a second conveyor positioned above said first conveyor, a plurality of curd forming conduits attached at spaced intervals on said second conveyor, means driving said first and second conveyors, the movement of said conveyors being so synchronized that said forming conduits on the second conveyor coincide with the curd-holding means of the first conveyor whereby curd from said forming conduits is deposited on the curd-holding means, curd charging means adjacent said forming conduits, means adjacent said first conveyor for cutting the curd deposited on said curd-holding means, and drain means beneath one run of first conveyor.

3. A machine for the continuous manufacture of cheddar cheese, said machine having a defined path and comprising: means including a plurality of forms for providing successive separate portions of cheese curd, movable support means cooperating with said forms for bolding and moving said portions along said defined path, cutting means at spaced intervals along said path, and drain means beneath said support means.

4. A machine for mechanically cheddaring cheese, comprising: a frame, an endless conveyor mounted on said frame, drive means for intermittently moving said conveyor, a plurality of flat-surfaced curd supports mounted on said conveyor, means for supplying curd and whey to said supports at a point along the support path, a second and shorter endless conveyor mounted substantially directly above said conveyor, 'means for moving said shorter conveyor codirectionally wtih said first-mentioned conveyor, and a plurality of open end forming members mounted on said second-mentioned conveyor, each of said forming members having a grid-work of cutting surfaces,

surface of a curd support.

5. A machine for mechanically cheddaring cheese,

comprising: a frame, an endless conveyor mounted upon 7 said frame, drive means for intermittently moving said conveyor, a' plurality of supports mounted on said conveyor, means for supplying curd and whey tosaid supports at a point along the support path, a second conveyor mounted adjacent said first conveyor, means for moving said second conveyor codirectionally with said first conveyor, a plurality of forming means mounted on said second conveyor, each of said forming means having a curd cutter, said second conveyor being synchronized for movement with said first conveyor whereby the forming means register with the curd supports, means for draining whey from the curd on said supports, and means for removing said curd from said supports after draining said whey.

6. A machine for the continuous manufacture of cheddar cheese, comprising: a frame, an endless conveyor mounted on said frame, curd supports attached at spaced intervals on said conveyor, forms adjacent said supports for intermittently depositing slabs of curd on said supports, cutting means for adjacent said conveyor, drain means associated with said supports for separating the whey from the cut curd, and means for recovering the curd from the conveyor after the whey is drained therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 218,450 Potter Aug. 12, 1879 218,906 Tyhurst Aug. 26, 1879 2,174,658 Hess Oct. 3, 1939 2,263,173 Johnson Nov. 18, 1941 2,655,928 Herold Oct. 20, 1953 2,717,212 Hensgen et a1 Sept. 6, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 608, pp. 12 and 13.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent Noo 2,846,767 August 12, 1958 Bernard To Hensgen et a1,

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 48, for "isomeric" read isometric column 4,

line 44, before "first" insert said -'==o Signed and sealed this 4th day of "November 1958o SSEAL) ttest: KARL II, AXLINE 1 ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Oificer 

